What Did You Mean?
by Augusta
Summary: Scotty and Uhura have a heart to heart after their run in with Sybok. Takes place between 5 and 6.


**Summary:** Scotty and Uhura have a heart-to-heart after their run-in with Sybok. Takes place between 4 and 5.

**Disclaimer:** I own nothing. I hate being broke…maybe if I hadn't bought all the Special Collector's Editions all at once.

Long after the party with Capt. Klaa's crew ended and the Ambassadors had been deposited at their various locations, the Enterprise A was once again at Spaceport 6.

Sulu and Chekov actually stayed on the well-marked trails and were finally able to see the famous five faces of Mount Rushmore. Kirk was yet again climbing El Capitan, only this time with Spock following gamely at his heels while McCoy waited at the bottom doing what he did best: fretting and cursing a blue streak. Back on the Enterprise A, a skeleton crew traversed the silent halls. They scurried here and there trying to repair the ship's old and new problems and glitches.

Uhura slowly strolled down a hall, shaking her head at the busted panels and exposed wiring. Turning a corner, she smiled when she found what she was looking for.

A pair of dirty, size eleven standard issue boots stuck out from under the main environmental control console. She knelt down next to them and peered at the person connected to the boots.

"Montgomery Scott," Uhura sighed the admonishment.

The portly Chief Engineer started at the soft voice and smacked his head. He moaned and gently touched his pounding temple. "Aye…That yeh, Uhura?"

She helped him wiggle his way out and examined the goose egg beginning to form. "If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were married to this ship."

"Ah very nearly am, Lassie. Ah didna forget dinner again, did Ah?"

"No, Scotty. That's tomorrow night. But if you do forget, I'll have you court-marshaled."

He chuckled. "Ah'd expect no less of yeh. And what're yeh doin' here?"

"I came to see if you needed help."

"Yeh've no idea, Lassie. These new recruits are fresh out of the Academy. It's like workin' with monkeys. It'll be nice ta work next ta someone who knows what they're doin'."

They wandered the ship, fixing broken controls, reconnecting panels, and thoroughly enjoying making fools out of the poor Ensigns. Laughing, they fell through the doors to the bridge and plopped down at the Science Station. Scotty scrambled underneath the console and Uhura checked for any glitches as he tested each wire and circuit board.

"The look on that Ensign's face when you showed her how to bypass the security codes was priceless."

"Any Engineerin' graduate should well know how ta do that."

Uhura sighed as she studied the control panel. "Sybok's little adventure really did a number on the ship."

"Ya haven't even seen the worst of it. Decks thirteen, fourteen, and fifteen are completely ruined. Starfleet's gonna have a lovely time rebuildin' 'em."

"When do you think they'll be done?"

"Oh, the ship'll be done long afore the shrinks are. Sybok may've done a number on the ship, but he really discombobulated the crew's heads."

"It was quite a revealing experience, wasn't it?"

"Ah wouldn't know. After mah little run-in with that crossbeam, Ah didna see neither hide nor hair of that Vulcan. Glad Ah didn't. Yeh all were out of yer bloomin' minds."

"It was so embarrassing," Uhura covered her eyes with a hand as she remembered.

_--Flashback--_

"Easy, easy, easy," Uhura said as she tried to hold him down. "Scotty, Scotty! Easy, you're back with us."

Scotty closed his eyes for a second. "Uhura, Ah had the strangest dream. Ah dreamt a madman had taken over the Enterprise."

"Scotty, he's not a madman."

"He's not?" Scotty's eyebrows shot for his hairline.

"No. Sybok has simply put us in touch with feeling we've always been afraid to express."

Scotty tried to sit up again. "Ah have ta get back ta the transporter."

"No, no, no. Scotty, Scotty!" She pushed him down again and spoke ardently. "There's so much I want to tell you."

"Maybe yeh could wait 'til Ah'm a bit stronger. Ah don't think Ah could take it in mah present condition," he reached up the gently cup her cheek. "Or yers."

She closed her eyes and leaned into his hand, enjoying it far too much in his opinion. Scotty was beginning to wonder if the whole crew had lost its mind.

_--Present Day--_

"What did yeh mean?" He broke her train of thought with his simple question.

"About what?" She knew well what he was talking about.

"When yeh said there was so much yeh wanted ta tell meh. What did yeh mean?"

"Oh, that…well, I…" She chewed her bottom lip as she tried to think up a good lie.

He pulled his head out of the console and looked up at her. His eyebrow quirked up as he waited for an answer.

"Have you ever gotten so drunk that you've said some thing you didn't really mean?"

"Aye."

"Well, I was uninhibited, I was so intoxicated by the feeling of bliss that Sybok gave me. I might have said a few things that made no sense what-so-ever. And a few things that were way out in the Gamma Quadrant."

Scotty's face fell slightly.

"You were expecting me to say something else, weren't you?"

"Actually, Ah wasn't sure exactly what yeh were gonna say."

"But you were still hoping for a different answer," Uhura supplied.

"Ah won't deny it. There was somethin' yeh wanted ta tell me, and Ah can wait 'til yer ready."

"You're the most understanding man I know, Montgomery Scott," Uhura said as she settled down next to him and kissed him on the cheek.

She crawled under the Communication's console with him. "Now, let's see if we can't fix this before the next century."

He chuckled and happily went back to work.


End file.
